British regimental number research. First World War research. Military research. British Army regiments. Regimental numbering sequences between 1881 and 1918. Regimental number series. Other rank prisoners of war 1914.

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15 June 2009

King's Royal Rifle Corps - Regular Battalions

This post will look at army service numbers issued to men joining the regular battalions of the King's Royal Rifle Corps (KRRC) between 1881 and August 1915.

There are over 69,000 King's Royal Rifle Corps service and pension records (for this regiment - and
its antecedents) in various War Office series held at the National
Archives. Clicking on the link will take you to the results on Findmypast but you will need a
subscription or Pay-Per-View credits to actually view the records. Some of
these records can also be viewed on-line on Ancestry although
Findmypast has by far the most comprehensive service record collection.

Use the regimental numbers and dates on which these were issued, below,
to determine parameters for when your own KRRC ancestor
would have joined up. Note though that these numbers are only for regular
enlistments. Special Reserve and Territorial Force battalions operated
completely separate regimental number sequences.

315 joined on 10th December 1881507 joined on 21st December 1882876 joined on 21st April 18831616 joined on 21st January 18842638 joined on 10th January 18853489 joined on 18th March 18864221 joined on 9th November 18874289 joined on 11th January 18885054 joined on 13th March 18895566 joined on 15th January 18906211 joined on 31st January 18917056 joined on 2nd February 18927954 joined on 11th March 18938452 joined on 27th January 18948979 joined on 28th March 18959610 joined on 2nd October 18969795 joined on 5th January 1897In accordance with Queen's Regulations, and fast approaching the 9,999 limit for numbering in Infantry of the Line battalions, the KRRC applied to the "Adjutant-General in sufficient time to obtain authority to commence a new [number] series." The regiment had reached 9881 by 22nd March 1897 and presumably reached 9999 by the end of that month or by the following month. Certainly by 14th May 1897, regular soldiers joining the KRRC were being given numbers in the high 200s.674 joined on 18th January 18981732 joined on 2nd March 18992534 joined on 8th January 19003588 joined on 22nd April 19014311 joined on 18th March 19025327 joined on 9th January 19035795 joined on 11th January 19046542 joined on 28th June 19056858 joined on 2nd February 19068011 joined on 20th February 19078865 joined on 23rd June 19089166 joined on 6th January 19099551 joined on 12th January 191010334 joined on 2nd November 191110457 joined on 13th January 191211062 joined on 23rd April 191311374 joined on 17th January 1914By 8th June 1914, numbering was up to 11615 for men joining one of the four regular battalions of the King's Royal Rifle Corps, and less than two months later Britain went to war with Germany. When it did so, new recruits to the KRRC were not given numbers from the series from that being used by the regular battalions. Instead, according to their status (for want of a better word), and the battalions they were joining, they were given numbers from several new series, these numbers prefixed with different letters. So A/ prefix men (up to the low 3900s at least) were Army Reservists who had been discharged or whose numbers had been re-allocated and who were now re-enlisting. R/ prefix men were New Army men; C/ prefix men were also New Army men joining the 16th to 21st Battalions. There were other prefixes too and I'll look at these and other KRRC battalion numbering patterns in future posts.But during the First World War men could, and did, still enlist with the KRRC for regular terms of service (seven years with the Colours and five years on the Reserve), and army service numbers for these men continued to be drawn from the same series that had been in use before the First World war began.11770 joined on 12th August 191412207 joined on 6th January 191512284 joined on 1st February 191512371 joined on 9th March 191512413 joined on 3rd April 191512508 joined on 6th May 191512671 joined on 30th June 191512745 joined on 3rd August 1915Service records for all of the King's Royal Rifle Corps soldiers listed above (and those below) can be viewed on microfilm in the WO 363 (Burnt Documents) and WO 364 (Pension) series at The National Archives London. These papers are also now on-line via the Ancestry website. CLICK HERE for a FREE 14 day trial.Also see my posts on:Queen's and King's Regulations - Regimental NumbersRegimental numbering seriesThe image on this post, taken from an old cigarette card, shows R/11941 George Stanley Peachment VC of the 2nd Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps. George originally joined the 5th KRRC on 18th April 1915, later transferring to the 2nd Battalion. The citation for his VC award reads:"For most conspicuous bravery near Hulluch on 25th September 1915. During very heavy fighting, when our front line was compelled to retire in order to re-organise, Pte Peachment, seeing his Company Commander, Captain Dubs, lying wounded, crawled to assist him. The enemy's fire was intense, but, though there was a shell hole quite close, in which a few men had taken cover, Pte Peachment never thought of saving himself. He knelt in the open by his Officer and tried to help him, but while doing this he was first wounded by a bomb and a minute later mortally wounded by a rifle bullet. He was one of the youngest men in his battalion and gave this splendid example of courage and self-sacrifice."Rifleman Peachment has no known grave and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial at Dud Corner Cemetery, France.

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24 comments:

Thanks for the explanation of the regimental numbering system. 4673 WSmith enlisted in August 02. I was actually trying to figure out the length of service as he didnt appear to serve 7 years before going to reserves.

My Grandfather John McCarth joined the KRRC I have his regiment number as 5712 John was awarded 1914-15 Star Medal clasp/51372,The Victory Medal, The British War Medal & the Military Medal for Bravery in the Field France, (London Gazette 23/02/1918)

Yet this is not on his medal card & not be able to find his army record as believed to have been lost in WW2 I know he was in India in 1920/21 with 3rd Bn as he mention with photo in the Boxing section for those 2 years in the KRRC Chronicle

There were separate medal cards for the Military Medal and so I wouldn't be too surprised not to find the award mentioned on his campaign medal index card. These cards have not been digitised but I think that microfiche for these awards still survive at Kew. Was he also awarded the MSM? There is a card for a Colour Sergeant J McCarthy who was Acting Sergeant Major at the time of the award in 1928.

My Grandfather was in KRRC joined 1914 reg no A/809. cannot find out his records..know he was wounded in 2nd Ypes.and listed in National roll of great war.How can I find out more. His name was Francis T Beck. lived in Birmingham Thanks. Peter.

Useful (as always Paul), but also (as always), numbers never quite do what they are supposed to do. I have a 5810 (Arthur Jones) who had the Queen's Medal for the South Africa Wars, but the above would suggest enlistment in 1904. Having said that, I have his number in relation to re-enlistment in October 1914. I don't know therefore whether he was given his old number, or a redundant number left over from 1904. Did such things happen?

Back in Blighty after a week in France - beaches rather than battlefields but none the worse for that.

The number probably belongs to the series that began in 1881 and which reached 9999 in March 1897. The KRRC then started another number series from 1 in that same month. So in your man's case, his number would date to July 1890 (5815 was issued on 1st August 1890). Mystery solved?

Can anyone explain why an age or date of birth is ommitted from a 1st WW soldiers record please?

I have the Victory Medal of Arthur Pickles of the 12th Battalion King's Royal Rifle Corps who was KIA on the 8th October 1916 and is on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme. Pier and Face 13A and 13B. His age is not recorded. Neither is it recorded on his Service Record.

My Grandfather George James Hickman was listed on the Absent Voters List of the Electoral registers as serving in the 1st & then 2nd K.R.R.C and his number is recorded therein as 6841430 which does not tally with the information you have supplied about the K.R.R.C.service numbers. It's all I have to go on as I havent been able to find his War Service Records or Medal Cards.

I have just received copies of my grandfather's records for his time in the 2nd Battalion KRRC. The only think I can't make out is whereabouts he served abroad. He went to India with the 2 Batt on 8 Jan 1907 and returned home on 1 Feb 1908. Any ideas?

With regards to service numbers with R/prefix it is stated that this was used up to 15th bn but my wifes grandfather,Joseph Hayes,Kings Royal Rifle Corps ,killed in 3rd battle of Ypers at Menin bridge,1917 ,had a R /prefix (38626)but was in the 21st BN How come ? Would he have got transfered .,This Bn was apparently drawn from Yorkshire farming societies,but her grandfather was a Londoner ,living in London at that period .Very confusing

Chris, he may have previously served in another battalion, and for that matter regimental numbering is not an exact science. Drop me a line via the research tab if you want me to look at this in more detail for you.

I have been researching THOMAS POTTER who enlisted in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps Special Reserve on 1 Nov 1909 and given the regimental number 5/3798. When war broke out in 1914 he was posted to the 2nd battalion KRRC and arrived in France on 8 Nov 1914. He kept his original regimental number. His service record has survived. The number 3798 doesn't fit into the series of numbers on your list, was this because he was a Special Reservist?

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Army Numbers

When did my relative enlist? When did my grandfather join up? On what date did he join his regiment?

A man's number can tell you a lot about when he joined and even which battalion he joined. Note however, that there is a distinction between "enlisted" and "joined".

A man would generally enlist once - and be given a service number - or army number - on joining his regiment. If he joined another regiment he would be given a different number.
He could even be given a different number if he joined another battalion of the same regiment. In all probability this number would not be unique and could be repeated in various battalions and regiments throughout the British Army.

This blog aims to guide the researcher through the maze of army numbers in the British Army.

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The Army Service Numbers Database

The Army Service Numbers database has been compiled from original sources - WO 363, WO 364, WO 97 and selected medal index cards housed at the National Archives in London.

I'm guessing that the database currently comprises around 40,000 records, although I've not counted it for a while. It covers most units of the British Army between the years 1881 and 1918: Infantry Regiments, Cavalry and Yeomanry, Royal Artillery and Royal Army Medical Corps.

Notable exclusions are The Labour Corps and The Army Service Corps. I do not hold data for these corps and neither have I attempted to work out meaning from their baffling service number series.

What you will find on this blog is data from a far larger data set - generally one number per year up until 1914 and then one number per month from August 1914 onwards.

As general rules:

1. Army Service numbers for regular battalions are uncomplicated and largely sequential up until 1914.

2. Numbering in the British Army becomes more complicated from December 1915.

3. The bulk of my data is for the years 1881-1916. I have limited data from 1917.